Tangled Up in You
by bkay13
Summary: It's storming when Elena Gilbert stumbles into the one place she swore she'd never enter again. And she's already drunk when she orders the one drink that reminds her of him. It's been five years, but suddenly it feels like it was yesterday. It's been five years, and suddenly she realizes that she's still tangled up in the one person she swore she would never go back to.
1. Chapter 1

**Tangled Up in You**

*_Hey guys just a reminder...I don't own the Vampire Diaries or the characters or the song lyrics used in this story. All rights own to the writers, producers, singers, etc.*_

It's raining when I come in off the street, a cold, constant state of drizzling that seems to compliment my mood perfectly. I don't know what I'm doing almost until I'm doing it. I had told myself I was never going back through the door that suddenly appears in front of me, but I can't seem to stop myself from pushing it inwards to reveal the familiar bar. It's quiet inside; the rain seems to have scared off most of the usual patrons, not that there's many on a Tuesday night anyway.

The bar/restaurant establishment doesn't look like it's changed a bit. The lights are as dim as always, the air just a shade too warm, and there's a slight hum of gentle conversation and the clinking of glasses sounding around me. I wait for it all to hit me, the complete and utter familiarity of the place, but whatever sort of grief I had expected to feel doesn't appear at all. I'm pretty sure that's because I have already consumed enough alcohol to dampen just about everything.

I brush the rain off the shoulders of my coat and run a hand through my long, brunette hair as I wander past table after table. No one looks up as I walk by, and I can't decide wether to be saddened or exhilarated by my invisibility. I find myself at the booth in the back corner purely by habit, the one with the comfiest seat and the best place for secluded conversation. I know it well. Too well.

I slide in, suddenly feeling the urge for another drink. Maybe I'm not as numb as I thought after all. I only have to wait a moment before the waiter comes over. He's got boyish good looks, long blonde hair and blue eyes, and it doesn't take me but a moment to place him. Time hasn't changed him at all. I doubt he could say the same thing of me, if he were to recognize me in the first place.

I don't think he will, but after a moment of looking at me, his mouth widens into a smile.

"Elena," he says. "It's been a long time."

There might be a question behind those words, I'm not sure...but it's one I don't even dare to answer, so I ignore it all together.

"I can't believe you still work here, Robbie," I tell him with as much of a smile as I can muster.

He shrugs. "Can't bring myself to leave," he admits. I nod, although I'm not in a position to agree with him in the least. I left. _He_ left. But Robbie, good old Robbie, is still here.

"The usual?" he asks in my silence.

I shake my head. "Not this time," I tell him. "Something a little stronger perhaps. Could you bring me a...bourbon?"

I almost can't bring myself to say the word. Which is ridiculous, I know that, but the feeling is still there all the same.

He gives me a look at this, but then he just nods and smiles again and tells me it's _coming right up._

It better be. It was a mistake to come here after all this time. Where's my numbing sensation? It's fading, and I desperately need it to come back. I wonder if Stefan even knows where I am. I'm sure if I had my phone, there would be a million texts from him. I already know what they would say.

_Elena honey where are you?_

_ I'm so sorry...if you tell me what's wrong I promise I'll try to fix it..._

_ I'm worried about you. Please just tell me you're okay?_

Except that I'm not okay. Not anymore. And what would I tell him? It wasn't that he had done anything wrong...It's that he _is _all wrong. We're all wrong.

God if I told him that I'd break his heart.

Robbie comes back then, sliding my glass right down in front of me.

"Here you go, Elena," he tells me. His words are so gentle. I wonder if I look like the mess that I feel, or if he's just picking up on my moody demeanor.

"Thanks," I murmur. Even that one word seems like an effort. I take a drink from my glass hungrily, feeling the familiar burn down my throat.

I'm going to get completely drunk, I think. Drunk enough that I don't remember my name or where I am or Stefan's face when I screamed at him or those eyes..._his _eyes.

Drunk enough that I don't remember who usual sits across from me or why Robbie raised his eyes when I ordered bourbon or why I'm completely and utterly alone in the one place I used to call home.

I don't want to remember any of it.

I sip at my glass greedily, my eyes starting to smart. I tell myself it's because of the burn of the alcohol, but I know that's not true. I'm crying. I used to cry all the time. And while that sounds like a bad thing, in reality it was very, very good. It meant I could feel, that I expressed emotion, that I was passionate and alive. I don't cry anymore, not until now at least.

I feel like I have been empty for a very long time, but I am just now admitting it.

I hear the microphone click on then, interrupting my rather dark thoughts. There's a little stage at the back of the restaurant...you can't really see it from where I'm sitting, but I can tell without a doubt that Robbie's voice is emanating from that direction. He's announcing someone.

"Please give it up for David Summers," he's saying. There's a polite smattering of applause. I can't help but feel sorry for the poor bastard that's playing tonight. There's no one here to listen.

I glance down. My glass is empty. It's been too short of a time, and Robbie is obviously otherwise preoccupied. He probably didn't imagine I could drink it this fast. No matter. I slide out of the booth, steadying myself on my feet and picking up my tumbler. I'll just bring it up to the bar, get the bartender to refill it again. I can't bear to sit and wait for Robbie to reappear; without a glass in my hands, I don't know if I can take being all alone.

Then... I hear it.

My heart stops at the sound and I freeze in place. I'm not even sure if I'm breathing, all the air is stuck in my chest. The voice is low, somehow husky and smooth at the same time...the sound bourbon would make it if could sing. I know that voice well, maybe even better than my own.

But that's not all, because then I hear the words.

_You're my world...the shelter from the rain._

_ You're the pills...that take away my pain._

_ You're the light...that helps me find my way._

_ You're the words...when I have nothing to say._

_ And in this world_

_ Where nothing else is true_

_ Here I am_

_ Still tangled up in you._

_ I'm still tangled up in you._

I know these words. I can still see them in my mind, a scrawl of black pen on paper, a confession that weighed on my heart. They still exist somewhere in my drawer... The letters are separated, ripped on the edges...a few pieces are still black from where I had started to set them aflame.

_You're the only thing that I like about me..._

My glass is on the floor. I'm not sure when that happened, but it's shattered into a million different pieces around me. I stumble a step and I hear the pieces crunch underneath my feet.

_You're the shore when I am lost at sea..._

No, no, no. Maybe I'm wasted already. Maybe I'm lying passed out cold on the floor, and this is all a dream...a strangely haunting dream. Maybe I'm dead, a ghost stuck in the place she used to visit most.

But maybe this is real.

I take another shaky step, this one sending me around the corner.

I can't help myself. As soon as my line of vision is clear, my eyes turn frantic and hungry, shooting up to the stage, traveling towards the source of that darkly beautiful sound.

It can't be it can't be it can't be...

My eyes lock with a set of ice blue. All time stops. I am frozen again, body held up in space by just that one look. For a moment, I think he will falter too. His voice fades at the sight of me, but when he sees that I can't move, he picks up right where he left off.

My face starts to warm, my fingers tingling in a way they haven't in five years. _Five years._

He's singing to _me_ now; I can tell by the way his eyes never leave mine. If possible, his voice sounds even better. It just sounds..._more_...it sounds the way it used to when he said my name.

_In this world where nothing else is true..._

_ Here I am _

_ Still tangled up in you._

_ Tangled up in you..._

_ I'm still tangled up in you._

The song ends but his gaze doesn't. He leans towards the microphone as a small round of applause occurs down in front.

"Thanks everyone," he breathes. "Never sang that one before...It's called Tangled Up in You. And tonight...tonight I want to dedicate it to a girl from my past, a girl named Elena."

There's some more applause, but it sounds muted. I've been waiting to hear him say my name like that for the longest time...waiting without knowing that was what I was waiting for. I had dreamt about his voice, but now I realize I had never done it justice. Never ever.

He smiles at the crowd then, the half smile that I used to love so dearly. I mouth his name to him, just because I have to. "Damon," I whisper. He sees this; I watch his eyes flash one shade darker with some emotion I can't name.

I don't know what this means, seeing him here. I don't know how he could possibly be real...how all that dark hair and blue eyes and impossible charm could be only a room's length away.

I don't understand it, but I can't help myself. I run to him.

_***So I don't really know what this is...if it's a one shot or a two shot or a multi chapter story. All I know is that I had writer's block on my current fanfic and then this idea occurred to me and I just had to write it. Let me know what you think. Oh and the song lyrics are stolen from the song Tangled Up in You by Staid...it's beautiful so go and give it a listen if you really wanna picture the scene!***_


	2. Chapter 2: No Time

_**Chapter Two: No Time**_

_*So here's the second chapter. I hope you like it. As always, I do not own the characters, song lyrics, etc. All rights go to the owners, writers, producers, and actors of the show TVD and the song No Time by M83._

I run down to the tables right in front of the stage, possessed by something other than good sense. My breath is coming too fast and there is nothing in my head but those words...my name...

A couple of people turn to stare, but for the most part, they are wrapped up in their own conversations or Damon's presence on the stage.

And what a presence. He looks so comfortable up there, situated underneath the dim light bulbs, perched haphazardly on a tall stool as he strums on his guitar. I wonder if any of the audience members recognize that he's a rising star, halfway to fame. I know if he really wanted to, he could make the entire audience awe struck within moments. He always had that extra _something, _the something that allowed him to make and break friendships within seconds, an easy understanding that he could wield as manipulation if he so wanted. He could make these people remember him for a _lifetime, _but for some reason he's holding back. His dedication...the dedication aimed towards _me..._ is the only time he's spoken.

He wants to be anonymous tonight, in all his dark and beautiful glory. I had been craving invisibility too, but look at where that me. Look at where that got _us._

We're both faced with the person that used to know us the best of all.

At first all I want to do is jump onto the stage, but something holds me back. As much as I want to run straight into his arms, I can't help but remember how it all ended. So instead, I sink down into a chair just down and to the left of where he's sitting. A hand flies up to my hair almost subconsciously. I shouldn't care, but all of a sudden I do. I look like I'm breaking, but I'm not sure if I want him to know that.

I want him to know I'm broken only if he's willing to fix me.

He starts singing again, and I don't know if I will ever be able to get enough of that voice of his. I know it backwards and forwards. I know how it gets full of devilish fun when he teases...I know how it gets deeper in the early morning, when he hasn't yet had his first cup of coffee...I know how it gets rougher and breathless when I'm kissing him and pressing the curves of my body up against his...

_Send your dreams_

_ Where nobody hides_

_ Give your tears_

_ To the tide_

I know how...Well I used to know.

_No Time..._

_ No Time..._

_ No Time..._

Maybe he has someone else now, some other girl who gets to listen to his voice sing never before sung lyrics in her ear. Maybe he has another girl that he shares his full smile with and makes breakfast for in the mornings. I wouldn't be able to blame him if he did.

I was the one who told him to move on after all.

I shake my head, my thoughts interrupted. God is he purposely singing every single song that has the ability to kill me?

_There's no end_

_ There is no goodbye_

_Disappear_

_ With the Night_

He had started with the end...but now this song...this is the beginning. I float backwards, his face swimming in front of me.

_Damon..._

I have no choice. When have I ever had a choice, really? And whenever I did I made the wrong one.

I can remember so clearly...it was raining then too...

He is sending me back and I can't say no.

...

**5 Years Earlier**

I stare in the mirror. A different girl looks back at me, one I haven't seen in a very long time.

"Are you...sure?" Despite my struggles to appear excited about my transformation, my words still sound skeptical.

"Yes silly!" Caroline grins at me. "You look stunning."

I squint at my reflection. My usually wavy hair has been let down from its year long hibernation in its pony tail and has been pulled pin straight by Caroline's tools. Without the slight curl, it appears even longer than usual, reaching midway down my back.

She's slipped gold hoops onto my ears as well. I reach up to touch them and watch my reflection do the same. They used to be my favorite...before.

My usual comfy jeans and tees have been thrown out to who knows where. Instead, I'm dressed in skinnies and boots. A long, tight fitting top dresses up my torso and reveals a figure I'd half forgotten I owned.

I turn away from the mirror and back to Caroline.

"I forgot.." I start, trailing off. Shoot, I can't even begin. I feel like I've just about forgotten _everything_ that used to make me _me_. Can I even go back to who I was before?

Caroline just smiles at me gently with understanding. "It's okay Elena," she tells me. "You're back now. Yes?"

I straighten my shoulders. Bruised, yes. Scarred, that too. But I'm back. I _have _to be. I try on a long forgotten smile.

"Yes," I say as confidently as possible. "I'm back."

I expect her to squeal in delight at the statement she's probably been waiting for all year, but she actually surprises me by holding off her party of delight.

She places both her hands on my shoulders, meeting my eyes softly. "You can't expect it to be like before, you know."

Her words literally blow me away. When had Caroline gotten so...insightful? I feel like she's reading my mind.

"Then what will it be like?" I ask. I can't help but sound a little scared. It had been so easy to fade away, to not make an effort before...I'm not sure I even remember what the real world is like.

She bites her lip, trying to come up with an answer for me. "It'll be like...a combination," she tries. "You probably won't ever be as innocent as you were _before_ but you're never going to be as sad as you have been this past year either. You'll be both people, the person before and the person after, and...and well that will be just fine."

"Okay," I breathe, her words strangely comforting. I can do that. I can be both. "Okay."

She won't let me look away. "You good?" she asks seriously.

"I'm good."

Now there's the squeal I had been waiting for. Good old Caroline. Shattering glasses around the world every time she got the least bit excited.

She grabs me and spins me in order to point me towards to the door. "Time to go discover the city we're going to be calling home for the next couple years," she declares.

I actually feel a flash of excitement at her words. A brand new home. A place where I don't have to see memories of my family in every nook and cranny. A place where people don't expect me to feel both better and worse than I actually do.

A new place. A new start.

I follow Caroline out the door. We patter down the hallway and down the two flights of stairs until we land in the lobby of our new apartment building.

"Shit!" Caroline exclaims. I turn to follow her vision, realizing the reason for distress in seconds.

"It's going to ruin my hair," she whines. She turns to me aghast. "It's going to ruin _your_ hair!"

I watch the rain slide down the window panes, washing them clean. Yesterday, the rain would have been just another excuse to cry, but today...today I'm going to make it something else. I really am going to try. I'm suddenly tired of being the girl who never leaves home and watches sad movies and avoids riding in cars like the plague.

I am no longer Elena Gilbert, the sad, broken girl who lost her parents in a traumatic car accident.

No, today I am Elena Gilbert, the girl with brunette hair, the girl that likes to dance, the girl that just moved into town, the girl with a million different possibilities. I plunge forward. "You don't want to stay home then?" I tease.

"What? And not go out? Elena, do you know me?"

I snort. "Probably better than I want to. Come on Caroline. Wet hair is a small price to pay."

I push through the glass door out onto the pavement.

Despite my earlier words, I can't help but let out a little squeal as cold water immediately slips down my collar.

"Hurry!" Caroline runs past me. "To the cab!" She trips her way to the curb. I did tell her that her heels where a tad on the tall side, but of course she didn't listen. I walk, albeit more slowly, toward where she's waving frantically at the oncoming traffic.

It's actually kind of humorous, but I'm not sure she would share in my laughter at this point so I make an attempt to smother it. I still end up grinning, and when she glances over at me, she ends up studying me suspiciously.

"What's so funny?" she says with narrowed eyes.

I keep grinning but shake my head. "Nothing," I say innocently.

"Hmmph," she makes a noise of confusion. "Whatever."

And resume the frantic waving. I'm seconds away from totaling losing it when she actually does manage to land us a cab. It whirs up to the curb, and I jump backwards as it splashes water up in one giant, dirty wave. Caroline makes a noise of disgust as as she leaps over the puddle and into the back seat, and I follow her. I pause just slightly on the verge of the cab door, but then I just bite my lip and force myself to crawl in. I can't avoid riding in cars forever.

When I'm inside, I don't feel the same panic I have on earlier occasions, and I let out a sigh. When we're both situated and the door to the cab is closed, I realize the cab driver is waiting expectedly.

"Do you actually know where we're going?" I ask Caroline finally.

She turns back to me. "Of course I do," she says primly. "Have you forgotten my control freak tendencies?"

"Right," I allow. Another beat of silence. She doesn't get it. I wave at the cab driver, but she's still oblivious and is looking at me like I just sprouted another limb.

"What the hell are you waving at?" she asks in frustration.

I raise my eyebrow at her, making another pointed motion to the CAB DRIVER.

She follows my motion with her eyes, and this time she gets it. I watch the sheepish realization wash all over her face as she turns back to me.

"I forgot you had to..well..direct," she admits.

And now I really do laugh.

"Hey lady," the cab drive interrupts, "you gonna tell me where we're going or what?"

"Sorry!" she blurts out. "Yes, yes I am... The Swinging Door please."

"The Swinging Door?" I turn to her with a question on my face.

"The Swinging Door," she confirms with a bubblyness I could never match. "All the locals say it's the best bar around here. They even have live bands most nights!"

I just nod and smile. Sometimes thats all I can manage around her.

"Just wait Elena," she tells me. "This is going to be the best night of your life. Well," she amends, "if I have anything to do with it."

I have a feeling this might not be such a great idea after all.

When we walk into the bar, I am immediately insulted by the amount of people. _Everywhere._ People laughing, whispering, drinking, talking...

I form an immediate first impression, one that probably tips in Caroline's favor, because they don't look like bar bums, the people here. They just look comfortable, care-free, relaxed. The image instantly puts me at ease, and I release a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. The lights are dim, intimate but not sleazy. The bar is wide and long, right smack dab in the middle of the room. A floating bar, I think they're called. Booths line the walls. Behind the bar, way in the back of the establishment, is a stage. The ground sinks down lower in a half moon radiating from it's length, and tables range around the outside of this circle. The middle is left open, presumably for dancing.

It's quite the set up.

"Nice find," I turn to Caroline approvingly.

"Thanks," she beams. She then turns, squares her shoulders, and starts heading to the bar. "Now lets go get ourselves some drinks!"

I start to follow...I'm always _following_ behind her, but no matter...when I hear my voice being called. I immediately come to a stand still, listening for the source.

"Elena!" I spin to the right. There, standing right before me, is a handsome, broad shouldered, green-eyed man. A very familiar man.

"Stefan?" I gasp. "Stefan Salvatore?"

He smiles sweetly. I remember that about him from high school. He tended to be on the more serious side of things, but he when he smiled...it could melt the coldest of hearts.

"Elena Gilbert, long time no see!"

"The same to yourself!" I grin. "What in the world are you doing here?"

I turn towards the bar before he can answer. "Caroline!" I call. "Caroline, guess who's here?"

She whirls around, her eyes widening when she catches sight of us.

"Stefan!" She shrieks happily, darting across the floor to grab him up in one large hug. She smothers him for about a minute before finally letting go and taking a step back.

Stefan raises an eyebrow. "Good to see you too, Caroline."

She smiles widely. "You know you've missed me."

"Yeah well," he shrugs, "can't say I miss the classes or the teachers, but I do have to admit, it's nice running into a few walking high school memories."

"Walking high school memories, huh?" I tease.

"Good memories," he adds, his eyes twinkling.

"Well I would hope so," Caroline joins in. Her eyes are flitting up and down Stefan, and I know what she's thinking. I know what _I'm_ thinking. Stefan Salvatore was decent in high school, but now? Now he's practically a different person. A couple years had done him well.

"How bout you sit down at the bar with us? We were just about to order drinks," I ask.

"Sure," he nods his head. "I was headed there anyway."

Two drinks in and I'm feeling _great._ A little out of character perhaps...I can't remember the last time I just let it all go like this. Caroline keeps glancing over at me like I'm going to break down any second, and maybe I will in an hour...or two...but I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts. For the first time in a year, I'm having fun. I glance over and watch as Stefan laughs at something Caroline just said. I had forgotten how much I liked him. He's sweet and mellow, and I can't help but steal a couple admiring glances when he isn't looking.

Caroline catches these too and grins at me. I try to shake my head, but I can't help the shy smile that creeps across my face. Maybe it's time for this as well...a guy in my life. The last guy I'd been with at been Matt, but that had ended with the accident. After my parents died, there was nothing left of me to put into a relationship, and Matt had never really been anything more than a friend anyway.

I finish off my glass, still mulling over the possibility of Stefan as I look up to see if the bartender is anywhere in the vicinity. I'm ready for...

Then all coherent thought comes to a stumbling stand still. My body freezes and I know I'm staring, but it takes a huge effort of will to rip my eyes to the side.

The guy pulling a microphone into the middle of the stage is one of the handsomest I've ever seen. Dark hair, messy as if he had just gotten out of bed, a lean, yet muscular build, a guitar in hand...

It takes a moment for my heart to start beating again.

"_Who _is that?" I breathe, trying to keep my admiration out of my voice and not quite succeeding.

Caroline and Stefan both glance up at the same time. I watch Caroline's expression and smile with a little satisfaction. Apparently I'm not the only one a little star struck.

"Must be part of the band playing tonight," she finally manages, her eyes still glued on stage.

I look over at Stefan, and jerk in surprise when I watch a stony expression cross his face. Had we made him jealous? His jaw tightens as he watches the man ramble about the stage.

"Is...something wrong?" I ask him uncertainly.

Stefan shakes his head at my voice, as if coming out of a trance.

"Do you know him or something?" I prod worriedly. Gosh...I've never seen him look so...angry.

"Yea," he says grimly. I wait expectedly, trying to guess who could possibly make Stefan look the way he does. But I never, ever could have guessed what he would say next.

"He's my brother."

*_End of the second chapter! What do you guys think? Just let me know...I'd love to hear your thoughts. And thank you to all of the fantastic reviewers from chapter one...you guys are the best! Till next time!*_


	3. Chapter 3: Wait

**Chapter Three: Wait**

***So yeah, here's the third chapter. It took me a while, sorry about that, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Oh and correction from last chapter: the song is called Wait by M83 not No Time. Enjoy!***

"What?!" I exclaim, spinning my bar stool to face Stefan head on. "You have a _brother?_"

"Yep," Stefan says solemnly. "A full blood brother. _Damon_ Salvatore." He spits out the name, not bothering to hide the contempt that colors his words.

"But..." I stutter, knocked speechless. "Why didn't he go to the same school as you? How come we've never met him?"

I send another glance towards the stage, towards the creature with dark hair and a smirk as hot as sin. I would have _remembered_ with a capital R if I had seen him before.

"He lived with my father after my parent's divorce, I lived with Mom. He never really visited. We don't exactly..." Stefan trails off, searching for the right words, "get along, I guess."

"But...but why?" Caroline asks raptly. She's way into this. I wonder if Stefan realizes this is all going to be gossip about an hour later.

"Just understand this..." Stefan says, shaking his head, "he's not _anything_ like me. He's not... _good_, I guess you could say. As a teenager, he always ran with the wrong crowd, was always on the wrong side of the law..." he shrugs. "I don't really think anything's changed."

"But then... why are you here?" I venture. After all, it's not coincidence that Stefan has stumbled into the bar that his brother is playing at purely by accident.

"We need to talk," Stefan says simply, his words hard and empty.

I make a noise of knowing, immediately recognizing that this avenue of conversation has been firmly closed. I might have been tempted to push the envelope, but not tonight, despite the fact that I am still insanely curious. By Caroline's expression, I'm not the only one.

The band counts off and a dance number starts to vibrate through the bar. Stefan seems to take this as his cue to move on, shaking off his gloomy expression with the next sip of his drink. As he turns to Caroline and me, we both do the same, more so to appear polite than anything. The conversation picks up where it left off before the brother revelation, and generally speaking, things go back to relative normality.

Except that I'm still thinking about Stefan's handsome, guitar playing, music singing brother.

Not like a obsessive wondering or anything, just curiosity. Why did Stefan hate his brother so much? How come the entire Mystic Falls community was unaware of his very existence? It's intriguing, and I was always too curious for my own good. I remember my father used to tell me that if I was a cat, I would be dead, because everyone knows "curiosity killed the cat." That would make me laugh and laugh...

Just then, I feel a tug on my hand, interrupting the cycle of my thoughts. I look up, startled. "Let's dance!" Caroline yells over the music, wearing a large, goofy grin.

For a second, I feel like refusing, but that fades quickly. The alcohol has stolen away all my inhibitions...after all, why should I say no? My thoughts are headed somewhere darker than I want them to anyway, and dancing will easily convert everything back to simplicity.

I turn to Stefan. "You game?" I ask, recognizing some of Caroline's contagious enthusiasm creeping in my own voice.

He shakes his head, raising his voice in order to be heard over the banging occurring from on stage.

"I don't dance, remember? I'll just watch." He grins good naturally, and I nod in understanding. I should have guessed. He never was the dancing type, even in high school.

Caroline drags me off my bar stool then, and within seconds we are plunged into the growing mass of dancing bodies. The world is spinning slightly, but for some reason that only seems to make it easier to start moving my body in time to the music. It's all heat and sweat and flashes of tanned skin and I grin, feeling pleasantly alive as all my earlier wonderings fade into the background of the here and now. One song blends into the next in a brilliant fashion. Caroline laughs, and says something about missing me, which I'm glad that I can't quite hear because if I had, it probably would have made me sad. So I laugh too, and continue to sway my hips.

It's only when Caroline's form gets replaced by _his_ that I stop dancing. My eyes widen with surprise when I recognize Stefan's dark haired brother is standing right in front of me, his mouth held in a lazy grin. He's dancing too...in fact, the way he's dancing, that's about the only thing I can notice. That and his eyes, which even in the dark gleam blue. I feel my skin turn one shade hotter as his gaze deliberately meets mine. He moves up to me, reaching out to grab me with his arms. For a second, I let him catch me, pull me closer. My body presses up against the warmth of his, and for a moment I'm seriously tempted to just let the music move us together, but in the next moment I regain my senses and jerk backwards.

"What are you doing?" I ask loudly, because that's the only way he will hear me over the ruckus of his still playing band.

His eyes glint. "Dancing with you." He makes a move to reach out and pull me up against him again, but I dart backwards, out of reach.

"And what makes you think I'd want to do that?"

"Who wouldn't?" he chuckles darkly. His answer is half what I expected, and partly what I was thinking, so I can't decide wether to be amused or not. Mostly I'm just distracted, because even as he talks to me, he's moving with the music.

But I have some dignity too, and I quickly pull myself back to reality.

"I think you've just met her," I tell him.

"What?" He leans closer to me, because either he didn't hear me the first time or he can't quite believe my answer.

"Met the girl who doesn't want to dance with you." I clarify, sending him a pleasant but cool smile. I wait expectedly for his reaction, but end up disappointed. He looks just as nonchalant as before, maybe a little bit amused.

"I seriously doubt that," he says, his voice low and confident, his crooked grin still in place. He makes another move toward me.

"Try me," I respond, and before I can let myself become even more swayed by his charms, I disappear into the crowd to find Caroline.

...Some Time Later...

I lay lazily in the booth, tracing circles on the ceiling with my eyes. The first time I'd been out in a year...it hadn't been what I had expected, but that was okay. After all, I did say that I wanted a fresh start.

I sink further down into the booth, making myself even more comfortable. They'll probably kick me out when they find me, but I'm too far gone to really care one way or another. The alcohol in my veins has pulled a strange trick on me...I feel neither as care-free or as morose as I have in earlier drinking bouts. I have no idea what happened to Stefan...or to Caroline...but it doesn't matter. I just feel relaxed. Peaceful. I hum gently to myself, absorbing my surroundings with an aptness that doesn't really make any sense.

That's when I hear the voice.

For the about the past forty-five minutes it had been fairly quiet, just some waiter wandering around, collecting forgotten glasses and wiping down tables. But now someone's singing, and the sound is heart breakingly beautiful. I make myself stop humming just so I can hear it better.

_Send your dreams where nobody hides..._

_ Give your tears to the tide..._

The voice sounds like a caress, and I find myself wanting to drown myself in it. I have to know what this song is...have to.

I push myself up out of the booth, placing a hand on the table to steady myself. My brown hair falls messily across my face and I quickly push it out of the way. I have to see this man with the beautiful voice, the man singing me what feels like my own personal lullaby. I peek around the corner of the booth, frowning in frustration when I can't see the stage. Fine, the hard way then. I pull myself shakily to my feet, attempting to find my center of gravity before I go any further.

When I've sufficiently regained my balance, I venture off. It's not far till I'm in sight of the stage, which I find myself extremely grateful for. I sink down into the first chair I see, and immediately turn to face the front.

It's to my complete and utter surprise when I realize it's _him._ Stefan's brother. The guy I had carelessly turned down tonight. The supposed bad boy.

I tip my head in confusion as I watch him strum on his guitar. He _had_ been a bad boy earlier tonight, dressed to the nines in a dark V neck and designer jeans, singing loudly away to whatever song the crowd fancied, seducing me with his charms. His eyes had sparkled devilishly, and his smile was full of sarcasm.

But now? Now he looks less like the devil and more like an angel...

I want to lie down again, close my eyes, and let the music rock me to sleep. It sounds like a brilliant idea. I pick the salt and pepper shakers up off the table and set them gingerly on the ground. Then, with as much finesse as I can manage at this point, I crawl up onto the table and stretch out on my back.

I'm aware that he's watching me with something like amused curiosity as I do this, but I don't really care. Just as long as he keeps singing.

_No time..._

_ No time..._

_ No time.._

I feel the most terrible emptiness when it's over, like someone just shut off my oxygen. I need to fill up the silence; it's way too loud.

"What's that song called?" I ask the ceiling.

"What?"

I roll over onto my side, so that I'm facing the stage. "I asked what the song was called," I repeat.

He must find this funny, because he chuckles in answer. "If you don't mind my asking...what in the hell are you doing?" I watch as his amused gaze jumps from me to the table and then back again. He's got the strangest eyes. I remember them from earlier tonight, and can still see from all the way from back here that they are this unreal shade of blue.

"I could ask the same of you," I say. Which doesn't really make any sense in the least, but I have consumed more alcohol than I probably should have tonight.

"I think what I'm doing is pretty self explanatory...but as to what you're doing..." He trails off with a half grin. "Well not so much."

I try to pretend that my cheeks didn't flush when he said that. They shouldn't have affected me at all, those words, but it wasn't _what _he said. It was how his voice rumbled...and how his eyes traveled up and down me in a really slow, appreciative way. Somehow the words _not so much_ went from being completely innocent to being a complete innuendo.

I really need to stop drinking.

"Just tell me the song name and stop being impossible," I tell him, trying to regain my composure.

He shrugs. "I'm not the one lying on the table." And then his eyes...his eyes go up and down me _again_ and I feel exposed and wanted all at once.

"Whatever." I go back to staring at the ceiling, before remembering that he never did answer my original question. I wait a few moments, hoping he'll choose to enlighten me, but the bastard never does.

"So are you going to tell me?" I blurt out.

"Tell you what?" I can sense more than see the way the corner of his lips tug up.

"Don't make me beg," I say crossly.

"Well I happen to think a little begging might be in order. You _did_ turn me down tonight."

He doesn't even sound bitter when he says this, his voice just carries that same level of cool amusement. I was always pretty good at figuring people out, but he's throwing me for a loop.

"You deserved it."

When he laughs, the sound is both darker and lighter than his voice when he sings. His laughter is a perfect contradiction.

"I probably did," he allows when he stops chuckling.

"Good. I'm glad we can agree on _something."_

More silence. I refuse to be the one to break it this time. Two can play this game, although I'm not sure exactly what game we're playing. I start humming again, but this time it's to the tune of the song he just played. The words run through my head...

_No time no time..._

"It's called Wait," he tells me finally, interrupting the chorus of my humming. His words are quieter, more serious. I'm almost shocked into silence by the fact that he actually answered my question, but I recover relatively quickly.

"Who's it by?"

Another chuckle, although this one is softer. "It's by me."

I jerk upwards. I'm sure my mouth is hanging wide open. That song...those lyrics..._he_ created them? Damon Salvatore, the one singing all those cheap tunes to the drunken crowd tonight... He was the one who wrote _There is no end...there is no goodbye?_

"Who are you?" I ask, part in awe, part in confusion, maybe with part frustration as well. I hadn't meant to ask it really, but it just came out. I obviously have no filter when I'm drunk, not that anyone else does either.

"An interesting question," he muses, "but I believe there's a better one to be asked tonight." His eyes flash. "Who are _you_, Elena?"

I had answered this one earlier tonight, for myself, I remember. The words refuse to come to me now that I'm asked...something about a brunette, dancing...shit. I can't remember a thing.

He's still waiting for my answer, but I have no answer to give.

Finally I bite my lip and answer honestly. "I don't know," I admit. I glance up at him, gauging his reaction. "I don't know who I am...what I want...Is that bad?"

He waves his hand as if to chase away my worries. "You know what you want. You want what _everyone_ wants."

"Really?" I grin wryly at him, swinging my legs off the side of the table in my newly upright position. "And what is that?"

"You want a love that consumes you," he tells me, his words quiet and powerful.

"You want passion and excitement and even a little danger."

My heart is drumming at the sound of his words. They ring over and over in my head, becoming truer with every repeat.

_Love...passion...excitement...danger_

It feels like he's _discovering_ my thoughts, telling me things I had known somewhere deep inside of me but had never discovered before.

"And what do you want?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I told you what you want...how bout you tell me what _I _want?"

"Well you want..." I trail off uncertainly. What he wants? Maybe I could do this when I'm sober, but not right now. I can't even figure out what he's thinking, let alone tell him what he _wants._

I study him, determined to try all the same. He's still dressed in his bad boy attire, still wearing that sly grin, still looking at me like he can see through my clothes...

But he writes songs that talk about dreams and the tide and time. He asks me who I am and tells me that I want a love that consumes me. He has light eyes and a beautiful voice. He is the perfect contradiction...

"You want someone who _sees_ you."

I think I see him stiffen then, almost as if I had hit the mark with my answer, but the next second his grin is back on his face and I am left wondering if I had imagined his reaction in the first place.

I wait for him to reply, but when he does, he's turned it all back on me.

"My my Elena," he cocks his head to the side, "you're quite the puzzle, aren't you?"

"Have you looked in the mirror?" I mutter.

_***To my beautiful favoriters, followers, and reviewers of chapter two...you guys are the bomb! I'm telling you, chapters would not get written without y'alls support! What'd you guys think of chapter three? Write me a review and let me know...any feedback is appreciated. Till next time!***_


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